Sterling Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Sterling Capital Management LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 27,456 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,905 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $4,686,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. National Pension Service purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $164.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $4.50 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $129.23. 1,950,062 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 942,899. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $151.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $168.35. The company has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. Analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 31.94%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.